Sunday, June 9, 2013

The following is a fictional newspaper article of a possible
future scenario for primary education, followed by comments by fictional
readers.

Acme Corp. to donate
500 tablet computers to school

The hall in Smallville Primary school was filled with
excitement when principal Seymour Skinner announced the $250,000 worth donation
from Acme Corporation to equip all students with Acme tablets. “This is an
exciting moment for our small school! We are a low decile school and we do our
best to ensure that our students are given equal opportunities to develop their
skills to prepare them for the world. We are really grateful to Acme for their
generosity” principal Skinner says. “BYOD wasn’t an option for us as it was in
other schools – most of our students could not afford it. I now see new learning
opportunities rising for my students and for me as a teacher now!” Year 4
teacher Mr Garrison says.

“The world advances, technology advances and schools have to
keep up. We understand how challenging this can be for low decile schools and
we all need to do our best to give them a helping hand. This is the least that
Acme corp. can do to contribute to the preparation of tomorrow’s citizens and
employees” Acme representative Elmer Fudd says.

5 Comments:

Mary B. 5 hours ago

Am I the only one who finds this suspicious? Acme’s charter
High school was in the news last month for its low enrolment numbers. And what do they mean by employees? Their employees?

Susan G. 3 hours ago

I hear you Mary B. It just doesn’t feel right. I understand
that low decile schools are in greater need of resources now but the so called
21st century learning is for the good of the public, then the public
should fund these resources for low decile schools as well.

Brian T. 2 hours
ago

I think this is a great move from Acme corp and a great
example for other companies as well. My kids are very lucky to go to a school
that all kids have access to computers – even those who can’t afford it they
can hire laptops from the school. I compare this to my sister’s kids, they
don’t even know how to use a search engine. Even if this donation is to attract
Smallville primary students to their charter high school, these kids will be
trained by one of the biggest multinational companies and they will secure
their future.

Sally R. 2 hours
ago

I agree with you Brian. My kids’ school is somewhere in the
middle, some of the classes use computers, some other’s don’t. I am worried
about my kids’ future and if I had the opportunity I would move to a better
suburb to give my kids’ a better chance.

Mary B. 1 hour
ago

I understand your concerns Sally R., I am a mother of three
and I have the same concerns. But what happens to all those kids that don’t
have the opportunity to go to a higher decile school? It seems to me that we increase
the divide instead of decreasing it.

Monday, June 3, 2013

E-Learning is growing fast in New Zealand schools and has
been one of the priorities of the Ministry of Education over the last few
years. Major disruptions in Canterbury
schools, due to the 2010-2011 earthquakes have shown the potential of e-Learning
to increase resilience (Davis, 2011). Schools’ involvement in the national Virtual
Learning Network that enables students to enrol in online courses, regardless
of their geographic area has further shown the potential of e-Learning to
increase flexibility and student choice (Pratt & Trewern, 2011). The government’s
initiative to implement Ultra Fast Broadband in Schools (UFBiS) with ongoing
support from the Network 4 Learning (http://www.n4l.co.nz/about.php)
and the enabling e-Learning website (http://www.elearning.tki.org.nz/)
is expected to further increase the uptake of e-Learning in schools.

As a result of this, BYOD
is one of the key trends in New Zealand primary/secondary education, which is
also one of the key trends in the 2013 horizon report (NMC, 2013):

As the cost of technology drops and school districts revise
and open up their access policies, it is becoming more common for students to
bring their own mobile devices. (p.4)

In addition, the focus on 21st century teaching
and learning is challenging the
traditional role of students and teachers, a key trend that is also
identified in the 2013 Horizon report (NMC, 2013):

The abundance of resources and relationships made easily
accessible via the Internet is challenging us to revisit our roles as
educators. (p.4)

These trends involve a range of uncertainties that can be
placed on the two axes of the scenario matrix:

Equity vs inequity:
With regards to BYOD, it is normal to expect that, in conjunction with UFB, it will enable equitable access to information/resources/learning
opportunities. On the other hand, the gap between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have
nots’ might become bigger. Therefore one of the key uncertainties is whether
BYOD will increase educational equity or create inequity issues.

Traditional vs 21st
century teaching & learning: 21st century teaching and learning
involves the use of digital technologies in the classroom, but it also involves
more learner control and less traditional direct instruction. Teachers’ needs
for adequate PD will increase, not only in terms of how to use the new tools,
but also in terms of how to effectively
implement them to facilitate (not direct) student learning. However, one of the
key uncertainties is whether schools and teachers will eventually enable the 21st
century learner or ICT will be used as a way to sustain traditional instruction
with the teacher still being at the centre of the instruction.

Using the scenario matrix, the 4 scenarios for the future of
primary/secondary education in New Zealand are:

1. Traditional teaching & learning – equitable access:
Schools are implementing BYOD with devices that are purchased by parents, with
funding from other organizations where needed. Schools are connected and
collaborating in clusters, depending on their needs/goals, often driven by the
need to have access to more resources/content. Shared content is often
copyrighted. Teachers are often involved in structured PD sessions within and
beyond the school where the early adopters/experts share how to use new and
existing tools. E-learning is implemented as a way to extend students’
learning experiences outside the classroom, with continuous guidance from
teachers (online or onsite).

2. 21st century teaching & learning
– equitable access: BYOD is funded by families/whānau or other bodies where
needed. Teachers form their own communities of practice, with interest groups
within and beyond the school, sharing educational practices and ideas. Student-centred,
creative, collaborative learning is encouraged. Personal online learning
environments are student-created, often shared with families/whānau, increasing
the links between schools and the community. Collaboration between schools
enables students and teachers to form their own learning communities,
regardless of the geographic area of their school. Shared ownership of content and
CC licensing is more prevalent.

3. 21st century teaching & learning
– inequitable access: Schools provide a limited number of devices to students
who don’t own one to use in school and/or to hire for use at home. Students who
have and bring their devices in school are often sharing them with other
students. Learning through collaboration is more prevalent. Teachers are
engaged in PD within and beyond their school, often working in communities of
practice, sharing open content/resources. Teachers and schools are more likely
to join groups/communities that have similar access levels.

4. Traditional teaching & learning –
inequitable access: Schools are working in silos depending on their access
levels. Teachers are encouraged to engage in PD, mainly within the school.
Links with other schools are seen as a way to increase access to resources and
content. Schools are trying hard to protect the ownership of their
resources/content. Students are encouraged to bring their own devices in class
at times when a lesson is planned accordingly. These devices are often shared
between students who are given direct instructions on how to use them.

Reflecting on this attempt to use scenario planning for primary/secondary education in New Zealand, I find that this is a fascinating process, that engages the brain in constant thinking about the trends, uncertainties and involved implications. The more I engage with the scenario matrix, the more I have to face my own biases, which confirms to me that this needs to be a collaborative process.

Pratt, K., & Trewern, A. (2011). Students’ experiences
of flexible learning options: What can they tell us about what they need for
success? Computers in New Zealand Schools: Learning, Teaching, Technology,
23(2).

Monday, May 27, 2013

Scenario planning is a creative process of looking into the
future to inform strategic planning. It is not a way to predict the future, but
to be prepared for possible directions of the present (and maybe to avoid the mistakes of the past!). We live in a world that
is constantly changing and therefore it is difficult to know how the future
will be like to inform planning for education. What we can do however is to
identify major trends that are likely to have a great impact on the wider
context in which education is embedded. These trends should not be limited to
those that are directly linked to education. Within a wider local, national and
global ecosystem, there are political, environmental, social etc factors that have
an effect on education, which we may not be able to identify if we look at
scenario planning from a single perspective.

I find that scenario planning is not just a planning tool,
but also a way of thinking that can make people accept the fact that we don’t
know and we can’t control everything. However we can be prepared for
alternative futures. I believe that it is a collaborative process, where
individuals with different roles and perspectives come together and look into
the future from different points of view. Through this workshop I am planning
to further reflect on scenario planning in the context of primary/secondary
education in New Zealand, perhaps with a little bit more focus in Christchurch,
a city that is being rebuilt after two major earthquakes in 2010 and 2011, at a
time where Ultra Fast Broadband in schools across the country is on its way.

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Greetings fellow MOOCers!One more exciting opportunity to participate in an OpenMassive Online Course via Wikieducator! Last year I completed the eLearning and
Digital Technologies MEd at the University of Canterbury. Investigating change
with digital technologies was and still is part of my learning journey. I was also
an assistant researcher for the DEANZ case study on future scenarios for New
Zealand tertiary education.This year I am working as a primary and secondary Science
Educator in Christchurch, New Zealand and I am delighted to look into scenario
planning from a different perspective. Christchurch has had many disruptions
over the last couple of years due to over 10,000 earthquakes (!), but there are
also many interesting things happening with eLearning in schools as a result of
that. Although the Christchurch experience has taught us that things don’t
always go the way you planned, it has also taught us how to be more resilient and
adaptable when on shaky ground (literally!).I find that scenario planning is a way to increase resilience
in change, without excluding adaptation and I am looking forward to further
explore this in terms of education in Christchurch. I am excited to have the
opportunity to connect with fellow educators and look at different scenario
planning case studies in different educational contexts!